Obesity Public Enemy Number One

A new study reveals that there are more obese adults on this planet than thin people. This is not surprising. Almost everywhere one looks, obesity is rampant.

The study conducted by researchers from the Imperial College in London reveals that obesity in men has tripled and almost doubled in women.  They observed that the number of obese individuals globally have gone up from 105 million in 1975 to 641 million 2014. At the same time the number of underweight individuals has risen from 330 to 462.

The researchers stated that in a span of just 40 years, the world has transitioned from a having prevalence of underweight people to people who are obese.

Obesity is not a trivial disorder. It is associated with premature heart disease, stroke, arthritis, cancer, depression and low self-esteem. This study shows that unless there is a global policy to fight obesity, things are going to get worse. The population has to stop eating processed and refined foods and eat healthy. Exercise is no longer an option- it should become mandatory.

The researchers also found that more obese men and women live in the USA and China than any other country. Almost 20% of the planet’s obese people – approximately 118 million – live in six high income English speaking countries that include Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada, UK and US. The problem of underweight people is now prevalent in only two countries – Bangladesh and India.

Other data from the study reveal that China has the highest number of obese people – around 44 million men and 46 million women. The US is a close second with 42 million obese men and 46 million females; in contrast, the UK has 6.8 million obese men and 7.7 million obese women.

The repercussions of obesity are also being felt by the healthcare industry. The National Health Service in Britain spends nearly $10 billion to treat obesity relate health problems.

Everyone agrees that there is no single solution to obesity but to fight this epidemic, everyone from the public, government and the industry will have to play a role. If no action is taken at this point in time, this situation is going to get a lot worse.